Cate Blanchett received her second Oscar nomination for portraying Queen Elizabeth in this 2007 sequel to 1998's Elizabeth, with a big assist from costume designer Alexandra Byrne, whose re-creations of late 16th-century finery earned her an Academy Award. This middle segment of a planned trilogy on the life of the storied monarch focuses on three of the greatest challenges of her reign: the pending invasion by Spain, the treachery of her Catholic cousin Mary Stuart (Samantha Morton), and the romantic attentions of New World explorer Sir Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen). Director Shekhar Kapur helms a sumptuous depiction of England's Golden Age and spectacular face-off with the Spanish Armada.